Best place to find things to resell

[jeffrey]

If you need to find a good place to buy things to resell, you need to find the closest Goodwill Outlet Store -- these aren't regular Goodwill stores. These are deeply discounted stores where they usually sell stuff by the pound. It's dirty and you will need to sort through a lot of junk, but you should be able to turn $100 into $500 - $1000 after expenses by reselling stuff on Craigslist and eBay. If you ever wondered where the professional flea market sellers get all the things they sell, it's at the Goodwill Outlet stores.

If you're in college, forget a summer job -- learn this art and you'll save a lot more over the summer, plus you can do it part-time while at school as well (on your own hours).

[disneysteve]

If you ever wondered where the professional flea market sellers get all the things they sell, it's at the Goodwill Outlet stores.

I agree with everything you said except this. There are probably some flea market sellers doing this but it's probably a relatively small percentage. There are far more sellers than there are Goodwill Outlets to supply them. Professional sellers need a dependable steady supply of merchandise. I don't think the Goodwill Outlet provides that, though it could certainly be one piece of their supply chain.

When I was selling on ebay regularly, we didn't have a Goodwill Outlet yet but I did shop at the regular Goodwill stores regularly, as well as several other area thrift shops, auctions, and yard sales. And don't forget trash-picking which is particularly lucrative since everything is free.

All of that said, I agree with you that going to the store regularly could provide ample merchandise for a nice ebay/craigslist business. Of course, plenty of other people have the same thought so you will definitely have competition.

[creditcardfree]

Interesting. I had never heard of Goodwill outlets. It doesn't seem there are any in my area. I did recently notice the big flea markets here, something I'm curious about.

[jeffrey]

I agree with everything you said except this. There are probably some flea market sellers doing this but it's probably a relatively small percentage. There are far more sellers than there are Goodwill Outlets to supply them. Professional sellers need a dependable steady supply of merchandise. I don't think the Goodwill Outlet provides that, though it could certainly be one piece of their supply chain.

I guess it depends on the outlet to a big degree. I have been to smaller ones and huge ones. The smaller ones probably can't sustain, but the large ones definitely do. In Denver, the parking lot is full of flea market vans that get completely filled, so I know that one sustains dozens of flea market vendors each day. Even with all those vendors, I was able to come away with about 50 items for the cost of $70 during one visit which netted me $1200 (before expenses) after selling them all.

If I were a student today, this is how I would make my college money.

[disneysteve]

I guess it depends on the outlet to a big degree. I have been to smaller ones and huge ones. The smaller ones probably can't sustain, but the large ones definitely do. In Denver, the parking lot is full of flea market vans that get completely filled, so I know that one sustains dozens of flea market vendors each day. Even with all those vendors, I was able to come away with about 50 items for the cost of $70 during one visit which netted me $1200 (before expenses) after selling them all.

If I were a student today, this is how I would make my college money.

Makes sense. I've only been to one outlet store which is located nearby. It's a good size but it sounds like the Denver one is on a much larger scale.

The couple of times I've gone, I wasn't looking for items to resell so I didn't view items through that lens. I'm sure I could have found some decent stuff to resell had I gone in with that intent.

[MaryTres]

I have found so many hidden gems at Goodwill Outlet.

If you need to find a good place to buy things to resell, you need to find the closest Goodwill Outlet Store -- these aren't regular Goodwill stores. These are deeply discounted stores where they usually sell stuff by the pound. It's dirty and you will need to sort through a lot of junk, but you should be able to turn $100 into $500 - $1000 after expenses by reselling stuff on Craigslist and eBay. If you ever wondered where the professional flea market sellers get all the things they sell, it's at the Goodwill Outlet stores.

If you're in college, forget a summer job -- learn this art and you'll save a lot more over the summer, plus you can do it part-time while at school as well (on your own hours).

[rcb6501]

I have seen first hand that thrift stores can make money reselling products. I have seen non profits thrift stores turn big money on donated items.

[Gailete]

I love my thrift store, but we have no Goodwill Outlet in our area and with our new Goodwill store, I haven't found anything yet that I can flip for money, although I have been finding things, not every trip, at our Salvation Army. Unfortunately I can only go there about one every month or two, usually after my every 6 week IV. Last month I sold two things that I had picked up there for about $75 that had run me about $8 which is a nice chunk of change to help with the bills.

[DaveInPgh]

I noticed that this thread was created about a year ago. Just wondering how many people are turning a decent (obviously subjective) profit selling on eBay?

Not only has the eBay & Paypal fees made it more difficult, the much higher postage fees has had a big impact. I used to be able offer buyers shipping options in the $2 to $4 range, but now we have items in the 1 pound range costing $6 and up. The type of merchandise I use to make a nice profit on will no longer sell unless I am practically giving it away. I personally lost interest in it completely, although my wife still sells on occasion.

Her and I definitely have the eye for items we could turn over quickly at the flea market, but our weekends are booked with youth sports and other activities.

We don't have a Goodwill Outlet near us but we have done really well over the years at thrift stores. However, the absolute best place (our opinion) to find items to sell is Church flea markets.

[Gailete]

Dave, I still make money selling but not on ebay! Wouldn't touch that place with a ten foot pole. I have a store at ecrater.com and I also sell on Amazon. While the money is way down from what it used to be, it is still a significant enough amount that we depend on it for helping making the ends meet. If it ever got to 'hobby' status, I would leave the stores open (every little bit helps!) but also have some other ideas in my head for things to try. My energy and stamina are very limited so I can't juggle too many plates at once. I can only add another one if I drop and break one first.

My town has a wonderful thrift store that I just love. Well pretty much everyone in town loves it! The prices are very cheap compared to SA (about 90% less than SA in general!). ALL proceeds stay in our community to help those in need. They offer GED classes as well as help with taxes, carry forms for heat assistance, and at times has a mobile clinic to check BP, giving supplies to those burned out of their homes, etc. In other words it is a ministry although not called as such. When we had our big community yard sales this year, the thrift store closed for a week afterwards so they could deal with the huge influx of donations that comes after the sale. It was practically standing room only the day they opened again. Boy did I find some great deals.

I have found things at the SA at prices I can still resell for, but the things I sold last month for $75, instead of the $8 I paid at the SA I would have maybe paid $2-2.50 at my thrift store.

Part of the problem with selling on line is it has become a saturated market in just about every niche. When I started selling sewing patterns, I was one of a few. Now I can go to list something on Amazon and instead of mine being the only listing or 1-2 items listed, I have found up to 20 listings. Those determined to sell at any cost have the prices so deflated it is ridiculous and also shows they have no understanding of what they are selling. They will price the most expensive patterns for the cheapest and the cheapest pattern for incredibly high prices. I think I'm in general still making sales because the way I list a buyer can tell I know what I am talking about which gives them confidence to know that they will get what they are supposed. I mean who would rather buy from? Someone that says they know nothing about what they are selling or someone that lists the necessary info in their listing and their background showing a 50 year history of sewing. The other day I answered a question on line about a pattern, none of the 11 other sellers even bothered to comment!

You are also very right about the cost of shipping. The Chinese sellers get discounts (huge ones apparently) when shipping to the states, but for me to send a pattern internationally I have to charge $13.50 for one pattern. Multiple patterns thankfully are not as bad to add in extra ounces. It is those first 3-4 ounces that get you so my international sales went from 20% of total sales for years to about zilch.

[DaveInPgh]

Thanks Gailete

I will look into the site.

I don't have the time to hunt for treasures on a regular basis, but my wife knits and it sounds like that site would be another option for her